Wizards re-sign forward Anthony Gill
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards re-signed forward Anthony Gill on Thursday.
The team did not announce terms of the deal. Gill has started 15 games in five seasons in Washington. He averaged 2.5 points last season.
Gill has twice received the Wizards’ E.B. Henderson Team Award for work in the community, and he's also been a finalist for the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives key to hometown of Hamilton, Ontario
HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) — NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received the key to the city of Hamilton from Mayor Andrea Horwath at a public rally Thursday at Hamilton Stadium.
Horwath also announced the Oklahoma City star will have a street named after him after capping an epic season by leading Thunder to the NBA title.
“Growing up as I traveled across the world, to countless states, cities and countries people always asked where I was from,” Gilgeous-Alexander told a raucous gathering in the north end zone after hoisting the NBA championship trophy over his head. “I took pride in letting everyone know I was from Hamilton.
“Hamilton is different from every other city in Ontario, Hamiltonians carry a different sense of grit, determination, pride and energy than the rest of the province and honestly, I couldn’t shy away from that. I carry that with me every day and everywhere I go so you guys can only imagine how (much) overwhelming joy there was when I found out I was getting a key to the city I love and a street named after me.”
Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the Stadium on Thursday night. He was honored to start the second quarter of the CFL game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the B.C. Lions.
Check our full pre season guide to the best NBA Championship odds, including OCK being installed as crazy short odds favourites
Boston Celtics sign coach Joe Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension
By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens has said throughout the offseason that that team wanted Joe Mazzulla to be its coach for a long time.
It made that more than a proclamation Friday, announcing it has signed Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension. Length and details of the new deal were not released.
In a statement, Mazzulla called his new pact with the team “a blessing.”
“I would not be here without my faith, my wife, and my children,” Mazzulla said. “We are thankful for the partnership with our ownership groups, Brad’s mentorship, and the support of our staff. Most importantly, I am grateful for the players I have been able to coach the past three seasons. I look forward to competing for the Celtics and the city of Boston.”
Mazzulla, 37, is coming off his third season as Boston’s coach and has guided the team to the playoffs each season, including the franchise’s 18th NBA title to cap the 2023-24 season. He was the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since the 1968-69 season, when 35-year-old Bill Russell led the Celtics to the championship as a player-coach.
Under Mazzulla, the Celtics have won at least 57 games each of those seasons and topped 60 victories in each of the last two.
Though Stevens has never publicly discussed the details of Mazzulla’s contract, the coach was initially given an extension shortly after having the interim tag lifted in February 2023. Stevens confirmed in June that Mazzulla had received at least one additional extension prior to his latest one.
“He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans,” Stevens said in a statement. “He’s worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach — including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship. Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.”
Mazzulla originally joined the Celtics in 2019 and spent the next three seasons as an assistant before being interim head coach after former boss Ime Udoka was suspended by the team prior to the start of the 2022-23 season.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum seen without boot or brace at Patriots training camp
By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer The Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Jayson Tatum was spotted at practice on Wednesday —- just not on a basketball court.
The Celtics star made an appearance at the New England Patriots' joint training camp practice with the Washington Commanders.
Tatum, who had surgery in May to repair the ruptured right Achilles tendon injury he suffered in Boston's Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the New York Knicks, was seen walking without a boot or brace.
It's a welcomed sign for Tatum as he continues a rehabilitation that is expected to keep him out most — if not all — of next NBA season. Tatum mostly stood on the sideline during his appearance Wednesday, interacting with Patriots players and Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Tatum has been seen in multiple social media videos working out in the weight room at the Celtics’ team practice facility.
Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in June that the All-Star is progressing well following surgery. But asked about whether the team had put a potential timeline on Tatum’s return, Stevens was definitive that there would be no rushing the star’s recovery process.
Boston Celtics trade Georges Niang to Utah Jazz for 2 draft picks
By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics traded recently acquired forward Georges Niang and two future second-round draft picks to the Utah Jazz in exchange for rookie RJ Luis Jr., both teams announced Wednesday.
The deal is contingent on the players passing their physicals.
Niang is headed to Utah just a month after being dealt to Boston as part of a three-team deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta. Niang previously spent four seasons with Utah. He appeared in 79 games split between Atlanta and Cleveland last season when he averaged a career-high 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Shedding the final year of Niang's salary for next season will save Boston $8 million in luxury taxes, and allow it to stay under the second penalty apron following the addition of Chris Boucher, who agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal.
Boucher has spent the past seven seasons with Toronto, where he was part of its 2019 championship team.
See how Boston are priced up in our full guide to the NBA Eastern Conference best odds, we'll give you a clue.....they are big odds!
Former Miami Heat security officer charged with selling $2M in stolen jerseys
MIAMI (AP) — A former Miami Heat security officer accused of selling stolen jerseys and other memorabilia worth millions of dollars made his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday.
Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, of Miami, was charged with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.
A joint announcement from the Southern District of Florida and the Miami FBI said law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence on April 3 and seized about 300 stolen game-worn jerseys and other valuable memorabilia. The Heat confirmed the items had been stolen from their facility.
The charging document said Perez sold the items to online brokers. Over a three-year period, authorities say Perez sold more than 100 stolen items for approximately $2 million and shipped them across state lines, often at bargain prices. They say Perez sold a Miami Heat jersey worn by LeBron James during the NBA Finals for approximately $100,000. That same jersey later sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $3.7 million.
Perez, a 25-year retired veteran of the Miami Police Department, worked for the Heat from 2016 to 2021 and as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025.
Perez worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center. He was among just a few employees with access to a secured equipment room that stored memorabilia the organization intended to display in a future team museum. The documents say Perez accessed the equipment room to steal, in all, more than 400 game-worn jerseys and other items.
San Antonio Spurs, De’Aaron Fox agree to four-year, $228M extension
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — De'Aaron Fox says he has vivid memories of many of the San Antonio Spurs' championship runs, just from being a basketball fan.
He now wants to find out how it would feel as a player.
Fox signed a four-year, $228 million maximum contract extension Monday, cementing his status as a key part of what the Spurs are trying to build around All-Star center Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs announced the signing, and a person familiar with the financial terms confirmed those details to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity since the team did not make the numbers public.
Fox, in remarks distributed by the team, said he's driven to add to the Spurs' championship legacy.
“Just being able to be part of an organization like this ... you come in here and you feel that. You feel that in the environment. You feel that in the fans,” Fox said. “And then you go into the practice facility or you go into the arena and you see those banners hanging ... there's nothing you can do besides try to build on that.”
Fox is under contract this season for the final year of his five-year, $163 million deal. The extension starts in 2026-27.
ESPN first reported the agreement.
The move was expected after the Spurs made a big splash at the trade deadline last season by getting Fox from the Sacramento Kings. Fox has career averages of 21.5 points and 6.1 assists in eight NBA seasons. He averaged 19.7 points and 6.8 assists in 17 games with the Spurs last season. Fox missed the final 18 games due to surgery to repair the extensor tendon in his left fifth finger.
“What'll be different going forward is fans will see me play with 10 fingers,” Fox said.
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.
Luka Doncic agrees to a contract extension through 2028 with the Lakers, committing to his new team
By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer The Associated Press
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Luka Doncic's first six months with the Los Angeles Lakers were more than enough to give him a vision of a glittering long-term future with his new team.
He sees championship banners, trophies and team success while living in a cosmopolitan city and playing for a world-famous team.
He envisions his name and number in the rafters alongside every other transcendent great to wear the Lakers' gold jersey.
So Doncic took the next step toward turning his dreams into reality Saturday when he agreed to a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension through 2028 with the Lakers, bypassing a chance at free agency next summer.
“Being a Laker is an honor, and I wanted to be here,” Doncic said during a news conference under the title banners and retired numbers festooning the gym at the Lakers' training complex. “When you look up here, so many great names and what they’ve achieved. I want to be up there too one day.”
The deal should keep the 26-year-old Doncic with Los Angeles through 2028 under a player option for the final season, after which he’ll be eligible for a massive five-year extension that could allow him to recoup the max money he lost by getting traded by Dallas. The Slovenian superstar had a player option for the 2026-27 season under his previous contract.
A person with knowledge of the deal confirmed the terms to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Lakers don’t publicly announce the details of contracts.
The Lakers acquired Doncic from the Mavericks last February in a seismic trade for Anthony Davis . The five-time All-NBA selection and a five-time All-Star averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game last season while teaming up with LeBron James for 50 victories and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Although his debut season in Los Angeles ended with a first-round playoff loss to Minnesota, the high-scoring guard says he greatly enjoyed his first months in Hollywood — enough to commit to the Lakers for the rest of his 20s, and almost certainly beyond.
“It’s an honor playing for this organization,” Doncic said. “Many, many great players played here, so obviously I want to add one more up there. That’s what we’re working for.”
In another sign of his reinvigorated passion, Doncic confirmed that he has been doing extensive summer conditioning and strength work after the Mavericks’ questions about his physical commitment to the sport reportedly played a role in his shocking departure from Dallas.
Doncic looked trim and athletic at his news conference, and he chuckled while saying he’ll “obviously be a little bit faster” next season.
“Just trying to help the team condition-wise,” Doncic said. “Playing a lot of minutes, a lot of games, so I think it’s going to be the best for me.”
Reaching the deal with no drama or delay is also a significant coup for the Lakers, whose future looks even brighter with Doncic under contract less than two months after the Buss family agreed to sell a controlling stake in the franchise to a deep-pocketed group led by Dodgers owner Mark Walter.
Doncic will return this fall alongside James, who will begin his unprecedented 23rd NBA season. While Doncic's preeminent importance to the Lakers has been obvious from the moment they acquired him, general manager Rob Pelinka on Saturday called Doncic “the centerpiece and the foundation piece” of the Lakers going forward.
James didn't attend Doncic's news conference, but Pelinka said the relationship between the Lakers and the top scorer in NBA history is still strong even after James' agent, Rich Paul, made pointed comments about James' desire for the Lakers to be a championship contender when James agreed to return this summer.
“All the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp have been positive and supportive,” Pelinka said when asked if he thought the Lakers would be James' final team. “The dialogue with him has been open and constant. … The No. 1 thing we have to do (with James' future) is respect him and his family’s decision. We want to respect his opportunity to come up with his timetable on that. If he had a chance to retire as a Laker, that would be great.”
Doncic's comfort with the Lakers was already obvious in his offseason activity: He played a significant role in Los Angeles' successful bids to sign Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart , helping to persuade the two veterans to team up with him for the upcoming season.
Doncic said he campaigned with both players because he respected them as opponents. Ayton, Smart and several other Lakers showed up in El Segundo to congratulate Doncic on his new deal.
“Honestly, I think we have a great team,” Doncic said. “We have what we need to compete for the championship. I will bring whatever I can bring and try to win every game no matter what. We’ve got some new great guys on the team, so you know we’re going to go for it.”
How does Luka signing a new contract extension impact LA Lakers odds for the Western Conference.
Mikal Bridges agrees to a $150 million extension with the Knicks
By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges agreed to a four-year, $150 million extension with the New York Knicks on Thursday, a person with knowledge of the details said.
The person confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced. It was first reported by ESPN.
The Knicks gave up five first-round picks to acquire Bridges last June and he rewarded them by taking less than he could have earned to lock in to a future with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
Bridges could have earned $156 million in this extension, or even more by waiting until his contract expired next summer. Instead, he took the deal that could allow the Knicks future flexibility to keep building a team that reached the Eastern Conference finals last season for the first time since 2000.
Bridges made a couple of huge defensive plays when the Knicks knocked off 2024 NBA champion Boston in the second round.
The Knicks sought those defensive abilities and his availability to play every game that is unmatched among current NBA players when they traded the huge package of picks to acquire Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets last summer.
Bridges played in every game — as he has in every season in the NBA — and averaged 17.6 points. The NBA's reigning iron man also played in every game in college before appearing in all 556 since entering the NBA as a first-round pick in 2018.
He helped Phoenix reach the NBA Finals in 2021 and was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year the following season, before being dealt to Brooklyn at the 2023 trade deadline as part of the package for Kevin Durant.
Bridges averaged 26.1 points in the final 27 games of that season and 19.6 in 2023-24, before becoming more of a supporting offensive piece with the Knicks behind Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Magic, Grizzlies to play in Berlin and London this season. More games coming to Manchester and Paris
LONDON (AP) — The NBA will play at least six regular-season games in Europe over the next three seasons, starting with a pair of games between the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic this season.
The Grizzlies and Magic will play in Berlin on Jan. 15, then in London on Jan. 18.
The league will play games at Manchester, England and Paris in the 2026-27 season, then return to Berlin and Paris for games in the 2027-28 season. The games will be held at Berlin's Uber Arena, London's The O2, Manchester's Co-op Live and Paris' Accor Arena.
“Announcing the next three season’s regular-season games in Europe reflects the incredible momentum and appetite for NBA basketball in France, Germany, the UK and across the region,” said George Aivazoglou, the NBA’s managing director for Europe and the Middle East. “We look forward to welcoming the Grizzlies and the Magic to Berlin and London and to engaging fans, players and the local communities through the games and the surrounding events.”
The Berlin game in January will be the NBA's 14th in Germany since 1984, but the first regular-season game in the country — and will serve as a homecoming for Magic players Franz and Moritz Wagner, both of whom play for Germany's national team.
The London game this season will be the 10th regular-season contest in that city. Manchester has never played host to a regular-season game, and Paris has been the site of five regular-season contests — including two last season between the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs. French star Victor Wembanyama plays for the Spurs, which made them a logical choice to go to Paris for last season's series of games.
The full NBA schedule for this season is expected to be released in mid-August. The dates and participating teams for the games in 2027 and 2028 will be announced prior to the 2026-27 and 2027-28 NBA seasons, respectively.
